c7 The Defeat of Son Goku
"Come on, Lin Hao! Take this head-on my strongest attack right now!"
Son Goku roared, his body surging with golden ki. He flashed from the ground into the air, his aura crackling, and drove his clenched fist straight toward Lin Hao.
"Good! That's what I wanted to see!"
Lin Hao didn't even think about dodging. He clenched his fist and struck forward, deliberately meeting the blow head-on. He wanted to gauge the true depth of Goku's Super Saiyan power.
Their fists collided violently.
"BOOM!"
At the instant of impact, Lin Hao felt Goku's raw force pressing against him. But almost as quickly, he crushed it under his own overwhelming strength.
Goku, though burning his ki at full force, was no match. Lin Hao's counter-impact hurled him away like a cannonball.
"Ughhh!!"
He tumbled backward uncontrollably, smashing through several rocky peaks, the kind Goku and Vegeta had leveled back on Earth during their first duel and only stopped after plowing into the ground with a thunderous crash.
"So… so strong. Even at full power, Goku can't hold his ground against him!"
Krillin's face paled as he watched Goku fall, remembering how hard Goku had fought against Frieza on Namek.
"Y-Yeah… both are Super Saiyans, but Lin Hao's aura is different. It feels denser, more stable, like he's refined it further!" Yamcha muttered, sensing a pressure that even Goku's form hadn't produced.
Everyone fell silent. Back then, Vegeta had explained that the Super Saiyan was a legendary state. But none of them had ever imagined someone besides Goku and Vegeta could manifest it let alone wield it at such a higher tier.
"Tch! This bastard…" Vegeta clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "To think Kakarot is completely overpowered… where the hell did this Saiyan come from?!" His pride writhed at the sight of another warrior surpassing both him and Goku.
…
"Hahhh! Amazing power, Lin Hao… but I won't give up so easily!"
Goku shot back into the air, golden aura flaring, and fixed his determined gaze on his opponent.
Lin Hao stayed silent. With a calm smirk, he raised two fingers, beckoning. His meaning was clear: Attack however you like. If you can touch me, I'll admit defeat.
"You're too confident!" Goku growled, then vanished in a blur of speed, reappearing right in front of Lin Hao with a ferocious punch.
But to his shock, his blow didn't connect. A shimmering golden aura flared around Lin Hao's body, effortlessly deflecting the strike before it even reached him.
"What?! I can't even break through his ki barrier?"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Goku's rapid-fire punches followed, each one faster than lightning, but all were swallowed up by the oppressive aura radiating from Lin Hao.
Son Goku continued to attack Lin Hao, refusing to give in. His golden aura blazed as his figure flickered like lightning, unleashing countless rapid punches at breakneck speed. Each blow carried the force that had once rivaled Frieza's on Namek, but no matter how fiercely he struck, none of his fists could land cleanly.
"BOOM!"
The next instant, Goku felt his body slam backward through the air. His eyes widened he hadn't even seen Lin Hao's counterattack.
"So fast!"
"So strong…! Damn, that hurts!"
Unable to follow Lin Hao's movements, Goku was hammered mercilessly. His face, chest, and stomach were pummeled again and again, his Super Saiyan aura flickering as each blow shook him to the core.
Watching from a distance, Trunks, who alone could keep up with their speed, clenched his fists. Sweat rolled down his forehead. Unbelievable… Dad told me how incredible Son Goku was when he defeated Frieza, but now he's being overwhelmed so completely!
"It's already been a full minute," Lin Hao finally said calmly. "That means this battle is finished."
His final strike sent Goku crashing down like a meteor. He slammed into the earth with a thunderous crash, carving a massive crater into the landscape.
"Ghh…!" Goku groaned, coughing dust. His golden hair and aura vanished, reverting him back to black-haired form. His body trembled he couldn't maintain Super Saiyan anymore. "You… you're incredible. Honestly, you could've finished me with a single punch, but instead you kept testing me… hah…!" His voice rasped with both pain and admiration.
Lin Hao descended from the sky, his aura flickering faintly, and looked down into the crater. "Not bad, Goku. I can tell your skill is still growing. Given time, you'll stand at my level. Fighting you helped me feel out my own limits I can control all of my power now."
Then Lin Hao reached into a small pouch at his waist. "And remember Saiyans grow stronger after recovering from near-death. This will speed up your recovery. Catch!"
He tossed down a small bean.
Goku's eyes lit up instantly. "A senzu bean! Thanks a ton!"
He swallowed it in one gulp. In moments, his body healed completely, his energy restored as if nothing had happened. He leapt out of the crater with a cheerful grin, flexing his arms. "Ahh, that's the stuff!"
At that moment, Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, Piccolo, and Tien flew over, relief flooding their faces when they saw Goku standing tall again.
"Dad, are you okay?" Gohan asked, clutching his father's arm.
"Don't worry, Gohan I'm fine now," Goku said with a smile. "Thanks to Lin Hao's senzu bean. By the way…" he turned toward Lin Hao. "You're planning on staying here on Earth, right?"
Lin Hao nodded lightly. "Of course. Earth is where the best fights will happen. And I'll be here to challenge warriors like you again."
Goku grinned. "Good! That makes me happy."
Lin Hao's gaze shifted toward Trunks, who had been watching silently. "Anyway, our battle's finished. But that young man over there seems to have something important for you, Goku."
With that, Lin Hao launched himself skyward in a burst of golden energy. His figure quickly vanished beyond the clouds, leaving behind only a fading trail of light.
Everyone exhaled deeply as the pressure finally lifted. Even Piccolo narrowed his eyes Lin Hao's ki was immense, perhaps greater than anyone's they had ever faced.
"This Saiyan who appeared out of nowhere… he's unbelievably strong," Tien muttered grimly. "If he ever turned against us, none of us could stop him."
"Don't worry," Goku said, stepping forward with a reassuring smile. "I couldn't sense any evil intent in his ki. He's not like Frieza or the androids Trunks mentioned. He won't hurt Earth."
"Yeah," Krillin nodded, relaxing slightly. "Goku's right. His aura wasn't malicious at all."
"Mm. I don't know who that uncle is," Gohan added softly, "but… I believe he's a good person."
Now only Trunks remained silent, gripping his sword. Finally, he stepped forward. "Son Goku… I need to speak with you privately."
Just as in the original timeline, Trunks revealed the grim future that awaited: the appearance of the deadly Artificial Humans, and the mysterious heart virus that would strike Goku down if he wasn't prepared. From within his jacket, he pulled out a small vial of medicine.
"This is the only cure," Trunks said firmly. "It doesn't exist in your time. Please… take it."
Goku held the vial, his expression unusually serious. "Thank you. I'll be careful."
With that, Trunks bid farewell, climbing back into his time machine. The capsule dome sealed shut, and with a flash of light, he disappeared back to his future.
Now, all that remained was the three-year countdown to the arrival of the androids…
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